Making Things Right
by KaibaGirl17
Summary: There was no way to undo everything he had done, but he could try to make things right. Right after the battle against the Red Death. Please R
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Well, as you can tell from my profile, this is my first HTYYD Fanfic. I saw a few that impressed me so I thought I'd give it a try. Let me know what you think. I will ignore any and all flames.

Disclaimer: I don't own how to Train Your Dragon, the movie, or the TV series, DreamWorks does. I also don't own the book series.

…

Shock. Fear. Desperation. Despair. Searing pain…

These emotions all mixed one another as they ravaged Hiccup's being. Overwhelming confusion plagued his body and mind. Questions flooded his head, never allowing him to have even a second of peace.

What would happen to Toothless? Would he be killed? Would Stoick allow him to stay?

Then Hiccup remembered that Stoick had disowned him, so there was no way that the Night Fury would be allowed to stay.

That was when a new question hit the teenage Viking; what would Stoick do to him?

Hiccup saw his father standing in the corner farthest from him. They weren't far from Berk; Gobber said that they should be back in a little over an hour away.

Hiccup couldn't see the chief's expression, but there wasn't a doubt in his mind that the expression was one of anger and utter disgust.

The teenager groaned as dull pain ached through his body. His mangled left leg screamed in protest as he tried to stretch it outward in an attempt to make himself more comfortable.

Finally, young Hiccup felt himself beginning to slowly slip into unconsciousness. At the time, he felt so disoriented; he began to wonder if he was dying. He blinked and groaned, exhausting his willpower as he attempted to stay awake.

Suddenly, Stoick stood up and walked over to Hiccup.

Hiccup opened his eyes and found himself staring into the eyes of his father. He tried to keep from showing any pain or fear, but he couldn't still his trembling or quiet his pained groans.

Stoick sighed and placed a hand on Hiccup's forehead. Hiccup flinched at the sudden, unexpectedly gentle touch.

Stoick sighed again as Hiccup whimpered softly.

"Rest, Hiccup," the chief said softly.

Hiccup groaned, but nodded and closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall into a deep, restless sleep.

Stoick shook his head before turning and walking back to his seat. Hiccup didn't look good. His normally vibrant, bright green eyes were foggy and now displayed a dull, grey-green color. His skin was a pale white and his dark auburn hair was wet from his continuous sweating.

"I'll go get Gothi the second we reach Berk," Gobber said solemnly.

Stoick nodded. The old healer would know what to do for Hiccup.

…

…

So, how was that for a first Chapter? I hope you liked it. Chapter 2's on the way.

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	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey, I told you guys Chapter 2 was on the way and here it is. Thanks to zachyjcosta, Peacexfreedom, Taboo22, Jewlbunny, and for all the reviews. Hope you guys like this new Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD, DreamWorks does.

…

Gothi frowned as she placed her tiny hands on Hiccup's heaving chest. She then turned, picked up her staff, and began making a picture. The picture showed Hiccup with tears running down his face.

"What does that mean?" Stoick asked, looking at the drawing.

"I think she's saying Hiccup's in distress about something," Gobber guessed.

Gothi nodded and then drew another picture. This one was of Stoick with a look of unbridled fury while Hiccup stood facing him, his expression one of fear. Stoick realized that it was meant to show when he had disowned Hiccup.

"Hiccup's fighting the healing process because of something that happened between the two of you before the battle," Gobber said, looking from the picture to Stoick, knowing full well that the chief knew exactly what he was talking about.

Stoick looked down, knowing exactly what his friend was talking about. He had never gotten to tell Hiccup that he had reversed his decision to disown the boy; Hiccup had flown off with Toothless to battle the Red Death before he could. And now Hiccup was still upset about it. It was no wonder that he was fighting the healing process.

Suddenly, Hiccup drew a breath and coughed violently.

Gothi shook her head and proceeded to draw a third picture.

Gobber looked, sighed heavily, and shook his head as well.

"She says that unless you find a way to show Hiccup that you don't feel that way anymore or else it won't matter anymore because Hiccup will be gone," he explained.

Stoick said nothing, but it was clear that this disturbing news was tearing him apart inside.

Gothi sighed and drew a fourth drawing, Gobber looked down.

"She says that Hiccup is very sick and he's going to be in quite a bit of pain, especially with his leg," the blond Viking said, nodding toward Hiccup's mangled left leg.

Stoick sighed. He had a feeling he knew what that meant.

"That leg's gonna have to go," Gobber sighed.

Stoick gasped.

"No. No! You can't!" the chief exclaimed.

"Stoick, it could kill him if he keeps it," Gobber uttered.

Stoick looked over to Hiccup. He didn't want this to be the only option for Hiccup!

"There's no other choice," Gobber said, as though reading his thoughts.

Stoick sighed.

"Just make it quick," he whispered, putting a hand on Hiccup's forehead and stroking the boy's bangs. "For Hiccup."

Gobber nodded before going off to prepare for the operation.

Gothi looked at Hiccup's pale, sweaty face and sighed. This sent a shiver up Stoick's spine and questions reeling through his mind.

Would Hiccup ever recover fully from this? Would he be able to tell Hiccup he had reversed his decision? Would Hiccup survive the loss of his leg?

He hoped so. He certainly hoped so.

…

…

So, how was this? Let me know

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	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here be Chappy 3. Thanks to OmegaDelta and Jewlbunny for the reviews on Chapter 2. Hope you likey this new Chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD, DreamWorks does.

…

The memory still haunted Stoick. The memory of the last conversation he had had with his son before everything. Before the battle...Before Hiccup lost his leg.

"_Take this out on me, be mad at me, but please, just don't hurt Toothless!" Hiccup had pleaded with him._

"_The dragon?" Stoick growled. "That's what you're worried about?! Not the people you almost __**killed**__?!"_

"_He was just protecting me! He's not dangerous!" Hiccup insisted. _

"_They've killed hundreds of us, Hiccup!" Stoick roared._

"_And we've killed **thousands** of them!" Hiccup insisted. "The dragons have to defend themselves! They raid our village because they have to! If they don't bring enough food back to their nest, they'll be eaten themselves! There's... something else on their island, Dad. It's a dragon like-"_

"_Their island?" Stoick asked, cutting off his son. "So you're saying that you've been to the Nest?"_

"_D-did I say 'Nest'?" Hiccup asked, looking as though he hadn't meant to say what he had just said._

"_Well, __**how**__ did you find it?" Stoick demanded._

"_I didn't," Hiccup insisted. "Toothless did. Only a dragon can find the island."_

_Stoick looked down. Hiccup knew what that meant. He knew what his father was thinking…_

"_No, no, Dad, no please. It's not what you think," he said fearfully. "You don't know what you're up against. It's like nothing you've ever seen-"_

_Before the Viking teen could say anything else, his father shoved him out of the way. Desperate to stop his father, Hiccup grabbed his father's arm, while at the same time trying to keep the tears from falling from his eyes._

"_Dad, please!" he begged. "I promise you, you can't win this one! Oh…For once in your life, would you please just listen to me?!"_

_He gasped, realizing what he'd just said._

_Stoick glared at his son before throwing the boy aside. Ignoring the fear and desperation in Hiccup's bright green eyes, he spoke._

"_You've thrown your lot in with them," he said, his voice filled with disgust and rage. "You're not a Viking..."_

_He started to walk away, but then he turned around. Hiccup felt a hint of hope. Maybe his father would listen. Maybe everything would be okay. Maybe…_

"_You're not my son," Stoick spat before storming out, leaving a heartbroken Hiccup in his wake. _

"_READY THE SHIPS!" he shouted. Now that he knew how they would find the nest, they were going as soon as possible._

Suddenly, a groan from Hiccup pulled the chief out of his thoughts.

Stoick turned back to his son to see that his boy was shaking his head to and fro frantically, moaning in his sleep as his entire body shuddered and tensed.

"Ready when you are, Stoick," Gobber said, holding up a knife.

Stoick sighed and nodded reluctantly.

"All right then, but you're gonna have to hold him down," Gobber said nervously.

Toothless let out a noise of misery as he saw the knife, knowing full well what was going to happen to his young human friend.

Without so much as a hint of hesitation, the protective Night Fury made his way to Hiccup's side and laid his head beside the sleeping teen's head. Making a strange sound between a purr and a whimper, Toothless nuzzled Hiccup's cheek affectionately, knowing that in mere moments the boy would be screaming in pain.

Stoick sighed and turned to Gobber.

"Do it," he whispered. "Just make it quick."

As Gobber nodded and stepped forward, Toothless glared at the knife and growled softly.

"It has to be done, Toothless," Stoick told the dragon, realizing at that moment that this was the first time that he had ever called the dragon by its name.

Toothless nodded sadly as if he understood, which he most likely did, but it was obvious that he wasn't happy about it.

Gobber sighed and raised the knife.

Suddenly, Hiccup's eyes flew open as he let out an ear-shattering cry when he saw the raised knife.

_'Oh no,_' Stoick groaned inwardly. _'I was hoping he'd be unconscious when this happened_.'

"No!" Hiccup screamed, staring at the knife with wide, terror-filled eyes. "Please no! Gobber, no! No! No! NO! PLEASE, GOBBER! PLEASE NOOOO!"

"Hiccup, it'll be okay," Stoick said, holding his son down with no difficulty at all, despite that Hiccup was fighting as hard as he could.

"NO! PLEASE DON'T!" Hiccup wailed, ignoring Stoick as he thrashed frantically in a desperate attempt to get free from his father's grasp.

Still crooning softly, Toothless continued to nuzzle Hiccup, trying to ease the teenager's anguish.

"P-please h-help me, Bud…" Hiccup begged, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper as he turned to Toothless. "…P-please don't let him d-do it…"

Toothless crooned sadly and licked Hiccup's face. He knew Hiccup was scared and he hated that. He didn't want his human to be scared. But maybe Hiccup would feel better if he knew Toothless would stay with him throughout it.

Toothless took the collar of Hiccup's tunic in his mouth, taking care to retract his teeth so as to not hurt Hiccup any more than he was already. He then proceeded to lift Hiccup gently with his now gummy mouth, and in one swift motion was lying on top of Hiccup's bed, curling into a ball with Hiccup in the middle, lying against the dragon's scaly back.

Hiccup seemed to relax, but only slightly.

Sensing his human's fear, Toothless proceeded to rest his head beside Hiccup's as if trying to say 'It's alright, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere.'

Hiccup looked his dragon in the eye and slowly started to relax a little more.

Stoick sighed. He should have known. Leave it to Toothless to be able to reassure Hiccup better than he ever could.

"Please…" Hiccup whimpered, looking into his father's eyes. "…P-please…d-don't…let him…"

"Hiccup, he has to do it, there's no other way," Stoick said, stroking his son's hair. "That leg might kill you if you keep it."

Hiccup let out a wail of anguish and buried his face in his hands as his entire small frame began to shake.

Gobber shook his head. He'd been hoping that Hiccup wouldn't be conscious when he had to amputate the boy's left from the mid-shin down.

"P-please, Gobber," Hiccup pleaded, his eyes filling with tears. "Please n-no…"

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," Gobber whispered, patting Hiccup's shoulder. "But I have to."

Hiccup bit his lip and closed his eyes, waiting for it all to be over.

"You got him held down good there, Stoick?" Gobber asked.

Stoick nodded grimly.

Toothless brayed sadly as Gobber brought the knife down.

…

Stoick sighed as he stared down at his son. Three hours had passed since the operation and yet he could still hear Hiccup's shrieks echoing throughout the house, along with Toothless's desperate attempts to calm him.

Hiccup had then fallen into a deep, but restless sleep. But every now and then he would break into a cold sweat while he twitched and groaned in his sleep.

Desperate, Toothless nestled closer to the boy as he tried harder and harder to keep Hiccup calm.

"N-no…" Hiccup mumbled in his sleep. "…No…P-please…"

"Hiccup?" Stoick asked worriedly.

"P-please…T-Toothless…Toothless…" Hiccup continued to mumble.

Toothless looked confused and worried.

"D-dad…n-no…please don't h-hurt him…" Hiccup's face contorted into a look of pain as he continued. "Dad…please…no! d-don't hurt him! P-please don't hurt Toothless!"

"Hiccup, it's alright," Stoick whispered as he stroked Hiccup's sweaty bangs. "Toothless is fine."

"Toothless!" Hiccup wailed, gripping the many blankets that he was tucked under. "Dad! Dad! TOOTHLESS! NOOOOOO!"

"Hiccup!" Stoick exclaimed.

Hiccup cried out as his eyes opened and locked with his father's.

"…P-please don't hurt Toothless…" Hiccup whispered. "H-he's my best friend…p-please d-don't hurt him…"

"I won't, Hiccup," Stoick assured his son. "I promise I won't lay a hand on Toothless."

Tears welled up in Hiccup's eyes.

"Y-you're lying…" he whispered, wiping his eyes. "Y-you're…g-gonna k-kill him…I-I know y-you are…you're g-gonna k-kill him…"

"No I'm not, son," Stoick said. "I swear I'm not."

"…B-but y-you s-said…" Hiccup stopped to catch his breath. "Y-you said I-I w-wasn't your s-son…"

Before Stoick could respond, Hiccup's eyes rolled back into his head and the boy passed out.

Stoick sighed. What could he do? He had to find a way to show Hiccup that he regretted what he had done. He had to!

…

…

So, how was it? Let me know guys.

Review =)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hi, here's Chapter 4. Thanks to Jewlbunny, OmegaDelta, and SweetSearene for the reviews on Chapter 3. Hope you guys like this brand new Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD, or any of the characters, or the movie, or the TV series, DreamWorks does.

…

Three weeks had passed since the operation and Hiccup hadn't woken up yet. Stoick and Toothless both spent almost every waking moment at Hiccup's side, and when either of them did leave, the other was always there just in case Hiccup woke up. And the one that left never stayed gone for a very long period of time.

Winter had finally set into Berk. Snow covered the ground and wind howled through the air. Stoick desperately hoped that his son would wake up soon. He feared he was losing Hiccup. It seemed like no matter what was done, Hiccup would not wake up. Maybe he feared facing his angry father.

Gothi was frowning. That was almost never a good sign. what if Hiccup was dying? What if…?

"He should wake up soon," Gobber said to Stoick as Gothi inspected Hiccup, pressing her head to his chest to listen to his erratic breathing pattern.

Stoick looked over at his sleeping son. He now noticed that some of Hiccup's color was slowly beginning to come back. He wasn't sweating as much and his fever had broken during the snowstorm that had hit the night before.

Gothi placed her hands on Hiccup's forehead and lowered her head to his chest to listen to his heartbeat and his breathing.

She nodded to Gobber.

"His breathing's getting better and his heartbeat's nice and steady," Gobber stated. "He's still not completely out of hot water, but it's not as bad as it was."

Stoick sighed in relief. Toothless nuzzled Hiccup's cheek closely as the boy groaned again and coughed.

Toothless then turned to Stoick, fixing with a gaze that shocked the Viking chief. The Night Fury seemed to be saying '_You can't just go and do what you did and automatically expect Hiccup to forgive you for it all_._ You just can't._'

Stoick reached his hand out. Toothless stared at it suspiciously but didn't move forward at all, he just stayed beside Hiccup.

"I'm sorry," Stoick whispered to the dragon. "I know I was wrong."

Toothless tilted his head to the side in confusion, but stayed where he was, refusing to leave Hiccup, even for a moment.

"...nnnnn…T-Toothless…" Hiccup murmured in his sleep.

Toothless crooned worriedly and positioned his head underneath Hiccup's so that the boy's head was resting on the dragon's.

"T-Toothless…no…" Hiccup's voice became more pained as his face contorted into a look of confusion, pain, and fear.

Stoick tried to get closer to him, but Toothless glared at him and growled menacingly, determined not to let him near Hiccup.

Hiccup moaned and stirred a little bit, but he didn't wake up.

"Let me help," Stoick was practically pleading with the Night Fury by now.

Toothless growled again and shook his head slowly. He had nearly lost Hiccup because of Stoick's stubbornness and carelessness. He was not about to let the man hurt Hiccup anymore. Not after he had broken Hiccup's heart. And certainly not after he had caused Hiccup to lose his left foot.

Suddenly, Hiccup started to cough. Toothless's eyes filled with worry and anger. Worried that Hiccup's condition might actually be worsening and anger shot straight at Stoick for being so neglectful of Hiccup.

After the coughing fit passed, Hiccup's eyes slowly opened.

Yawning, Hiccup looked around sluggishly.

"…W-where…w-wha…?" he murmured disorientated. "T-Toothless…w-where…a-are you…?"

Toothless crooned softly and looked up at his human, causing Hiccup to look down.

"Oh…t-there you are, Bud…" Hiccup whispered, a lopsided smile climbing across his face with a bit of difficulty, only for it to disappear a second later.

"W-why can't I…why can't I f-feel my left foot?" he asked, looking down.

Toothless brayed sadly, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Hiccup knew what had happened to his foot.

Hiccup peeked under the blankets and let out a whimper that within seconds became a scream of terror.

"No!" he gasped. "Oh nooo!"

Toothless wrapped his wings around Hiccup, hiding him from Stoick's view.

Stoick couldn't see Hiccup but he could hear his frantic whimpering and Toothless's attempts to calm him down.

"I-I can't b-believe it…" Hiccup gasped. "M-my leg…I-it's gone, Bud…"

Toothless crooned again.

Stoick sighed. The dragon was doing a better job at helping Hiccup than he was. But then, that wasn't really a surprise considering that Hiccup had been who he really was whenever he was with the dragon. But then when he was with his father, he would pretend to be someone he wasn't.

Stoick was ashamed. He had forced his only son, his only child; to bury his true self, to put on a front, just so that he could make his father less ashamed of him, maybe even make his father proud of him.

Stoick sighed again and put his face in his hands. How could he have done this? He looked to where Hiccup's left leg, or rather what was left of it, had been.

It all could have been avoided…if only he had listened…Hiccup had warned him…Hiccup had begged him to listen…If he had only listened to the warnings, Hiccup would most likely still have all of his leg.

But no, everything from the mid-shin down was gone, with only a bare stump at the end.

Stoick wanted to pick his son up and hold him, but anytime he even attempted to get near, Toothless would narrow his eyes and growl a warning at the chief.

"I don't think he's gonna let you near Hiccup at all, Stoick," Gobber had told him the day before. "Best for you not to try. You'll probably only make the dragon even madder."

Stoick shook his head as he remembered his old friend's words. Gobber had been right; After Hiccup's leg had been taken, Toothless absolutely refused to leave the boy's side. He also refused to let his boy's father anywhere near him.

…

Toothless looked down at Hiccup, wondering how the Viking teen had gotten so quiet all of a sudden. He then saw that Hiccup had fallen asleep. His face was paler than usual, marred by a few scratches and burns here and there that were starting to heal, and a little bit flushed in a few spots due to his recent fever.

Toothless licked his human's face, angry at Hiccup's father for causing this, but at the same time, feeling guilty and angry with himself as he looked down at where Hiccup's left foot had once been. After all, he had been the one who had caused the damage so badly.

When Hiccup had fallen off of him when the Red Death had exploded, Toothless had managed to save him from the explosion by grabbing by his left leg in his mouth while using one wing to fly and the other to shield Hiccup from the flames.

After the battle, the human that Hiccup called Gobber had fitted Toothless with a new prosthetic tailfin.

Toothless still felt guilty for being the one who had caused the irreversible damage to Hiccup's leg though. As if the poor hadn't suffered more than enough already.

…

_Hiccup opened his eyes to find that he was lying on dry land. That was strange, considering that he had just been underwater a moment ago, trying to free Toothless from his bonds._

_That's when he turned to see that Toothless was right next to him._

_The Night Fury narrowed his eyes and nodded toward the Red Death._

"_You got it, Bud," Hiccup said, climbing onto his dragon's back._

_Right as he was opening the tailfin, he saw Stoick coming toward him and Toothless._

"_Hiccup!" the chief yelled._

"_Go! Hurry, Bud!" Hiccup screamed, not wanting to faith any further wrath from his father. His father had already disowned him. There was no knowing what else he would do._

_Stoick stared up at the two as they flew away. Hiccup glanced down, but then stared straight ahead as he and Toothless flew straight for the Red Death._

Hiccup groaned and opened his eyes slowly. He couldn't understand why, but he had a really bad headache and he couldn't feel his left foot. He felt warm. Of course that wasn't surprising considering he was bundled under a layer of furs and blankets. Toothless was curled around him protectively.

"Hey, Bud," Hiccup whispered, petting the Night Fury's head.

Toothless purred happily and licked Hiccup's face.

"Whoa! Take it easy there, Bud," Hiccup laughed, wiping the slobber off with the sleeve of his tunic.

Toothless pulled back for a moment to assess Hiccup. After deciding that he was okay, the Night Fury then laid his head beside Hiccup's, his eyes staring into the tired, dull, and weakened grey-green eyes of his boy.

Hiccup blinked and wrapped his skinny arms around Toothless's neck. Toothless purred and wrapped his wings around Hiccup in a protective response.

"Please don't leave, Bud," Hiccup whispered.

Toothless crooned at him as if saying '_I'm not going anywhere_.'

Hiccup smiled, and snuggled against Toothless side.

Toothless purred again and wrapped his wings closer, securing Hiccup in a warm, protective cocoon of black, scaly wings.

Hiccup's famous crooked smile climbed across his face for the first time in weeks, the young Viking fell into the first peaceful sleep he had had in a long time.

…

…

So, how was it? Let me know, guys.

Review =)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Well, here's Chapter 5. Thanks to Rainbow27Stardust, MrCLogan11, Jess, Peacexfreedom, Jewlbunny, OmegaDelta, and Egyptprncssxox for the reviews on Chapter 4. Hope you guys like this brand new Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD or any of the characters, the movie, or any of the episodes of the TV series. DreamWorks does.

…

"Ready, Gobber?" Stoick asked, as he and Gobber stood in the blacksmithing forge, eyeing the house further up the hill. The Haddock's house. Both men knew that Hiccup, who was still in shock, was inside. Toothless, his dragon companion who also happened to be a Night Fury, the rarest and most elusive dragon there was, was without a doubt inside the house with him. He never left Hiccup's side, not even to eat. Not even to sleep. Instead of going outside or even up in the rafters of the house, he would lie beside Hiccup. Lately, he had taken to the habit of curling up around Hiccup while holding the poor, long-suffering boy in his wings as if to shield him from the world, to keep him safe from any more harm than that which had already come to him.

That's when Stoick began to lament on everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Slowly, the present faded into the past.

Many were the nights that Stoick would come home and find Toothless lying on Hiccup's bed. At first, Stoick wouldn't see Hiccup, but he always knew the boy was there. And every now and then, the foot he still had would poke out from the dragon's wings and Toothless would gently tuck it back in. Hiccup would always be groaning or coughing in his sleep. His fever had broken, but it was as if everything else, like Toothless, would refuse to leave Hiccup. He would lie against Toothless's side, snuggling against him and Toothless would croon and nestle closer to the boy, never allowing any warmth at all to flee.

Then, after Hiccup was deep in sleep, Toothless would coil around the boy like a snake, his wings still shielding Hiccup, and he would prop his head up, his eyes narrow slits, his expression like that of a dragon preparing to attack. This particular position was not only to keep Hiccup safe and close to Toothless, but also a defense position.

Stoick knew that it was because of him that the position had been formed. Toothless would always adopt said form whenever Stoick came too close. Sometimes, he would simply do so just because Stoick entered the house. And then whenever he walked to another section of the house or leave the house, Toothless would once again form his more gentle position.

"This isn't a good idea, Stoick," Gobber warned, pulling Stoick out of his thoughts.

"Will you just let me do this?" Stoick growled in reply, now focusing on the task at hand.

"Fine, but I really hope you know what you're doing," Gobber sighed, shaking his head. He didn't know why he even bothered to try reasoning with Stoick. He was as stubborn a Viking as they come. Nothing could ever penetrate that stone-thick skull of his. Nothing that is, except for his son.

Still doubting his old friend's plan, Gobber hobbled up the hill and into the house.

A soft growl greeted him as he opened the door and entered the house. A fire was burning in the fire place, looking as though it had just been started a short time ago. Deciding to keep it going longer, Gobber walked over to the woodpile, picked up a bundle of wood, and sat it on the fire.

After fanning the smoke away, Gobber turned and walked over to Hiccup's bed. He couldn't see the boy thanks to the Night Fury lying across the bed, Hiccup wrapped safely in its protective grasp.

"Toothless," Gobber said. The dragon perked up at the sound of its name from the blond Viking. "I need you to help me put the finishing touches on Hiccup's prosthetic."

Toothless whimpered and shook his head before nestling closer to Hiccup and curling tighter around him, as if to keep him from slipping away. He didn't want to leave his boy.

"Hiccup'll be fine," Gobber said, carefully reading the dragon's complex body language. "He'll still be here when you get back. No one will bother him and we're only going to the forge."

Toothless looked down at the sleeping Hiccup and crooned reluctantly. Even if the boy would be alright while he was gone, the protective dragon still did not want to leave his treasured human. What if he had a nightmare? What if he had another shock brought on by the loss of part of his leg? What if…what if his father came in while Toothless wasn't there to protect him?

Toothless couldn't let anything happen to Hiccup!

"Stoick isn't here," Gobber said as convincingly as he could. "He left to go fishing and he won't be back until the end of the day today. Maybe later than that."

This seemed to relax Toothless slightly. But only slightly. His untrusting eyes bore into Gobber's as if trying to find any deception in his words or his expression.

"Hiccup will be fine," Gobber said again, trying to seem more convincing, but not so much as to tip off the already mistrustful dragon.

Toothless gave a confused whimper.

"I promise he'll be okay," Gobber added, trying not to let his nervousness show. He had fought many dragons in his day, he'd even lost an arm and a leg to two of them, one of which had been a particularly nasty Monstrous Nightmare. He had faced these rogue dragons down with not so much as a trace of fear. And yet, now here he was, worried that a tame Night Fury would see through his ruse.

Still searching the one-legged blond Viking for any traces of deception, Toothless looked from Gobber to Hiccup, and then back to Gobber, then back to Hiccup before finally nodding reluctantly. He would go, but only because he was curious about the design of the device that would now become his cherished human friend's leg. He was concerned about leaving Hiccup, but his curiosity got the best of him. Besides, Gobber said he was asking the dragon for help. Toothless was eager to help, considering that he had been the one who had damaged poor Hiccup's left leg. It was his fault that Hiccup needed the prosthetic in the first place.

"Don't feel bad, Toothless," Gobber said to the dragon softly. "You saved his life. So there's less of him now, it's just part of his leg."

Toothless glared at him.

"The important thing is that he's still here with us," Gobber added hastily. "Besides, he's still got one good one."

Toothless seemed to grow more mellow.

Gobber smiled and held out his good hand. Toothless reached his head out, allowing the human that Hiccup seemed to trust to pet him. After all, if Hiccup trusted him, he couldn't be that bad.

"Come on," Gobber said encouragingly. But on the inside he felt guilty. The dragon was going out of its way to protect Hiccup and make the boy feel safe, and here he was trying to take the dragon away from the boy. Yes, he was keeping Stoick away in the process, which wasn't necessary, but the dragon was just trying to protect Hiccup.

Toothless gently uncurled, carefully nudging Hiccup back onto the bed.

Gobber wrapped Hiccup back up in the layer of furs and blankets. Hiccup stirred and groaned, but didn't wake.

"Let's go," Gobber told the dragon, who nodded and followed him out of the house and toward the forge.

When they were a far enough distance away, Stoick snuck out from behind the house and into the house. He felt a little guilty deceiving his son's dragon who was doing his best to protect Hiccup, something the chief was grateful for, even if the dragon was also keeping Hiccup away from him.

He didn't blame the dragon for that. Not after the horrible job he had done at being a father. Not after he had broken his young son's heart. Not after he had hurt him so badly with those four cruel words: "You're not my son."

Pushing this into the back of his mind, he began to concentrate on the present. Gobber had successfully led Toothless away from the house and down the hill to the forge to help him finish the prosthetic that he had crafted for Hiccup.

The truth was that the prosthetic was already finished. Gobber had only said that to get Toothless out of the house so that Stoick could sneak in and have some time with his son. He wanted to try to apologize to Hiccup, to try to make amends. Even though he didn't deserve it, he hoped that his son would forgive him and they could try to mend their relationship, which was as badly broken as poor Hiccup's heart.

…

…

So, how was it? Let me know guys.

Review =)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Well, here's Chapter 6. Thanks to Jewlbunny, Egyptprncssxox, and OmegaDelta for the reviews on Chapter 5. Also, thanks to LyricalMedley for the additional reviews on Chapters 1, 3, and 4 and to AngetianPrincess18 for the additional reviews on Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Hope you guys all enjoy this brand new Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD or any of the characters, DreamWorks does.

…

Stoick stared down at Hiccup as the latter slept. Now and again the teenage Viking would cough or his breath would seize up, but then his breathing would suddenly seize up, but then a moment or two later, it would return to normal.

Stoick sighed as he sat down at the foot of Hiccup's bed. At first, he tried to make sure that he didn't accidentally sit on Hiccup's leg and hurt him. But then he remembered that that part of his son's left leg was gone.

Shaking his head, the chief reached out a hand and stroked his son's auburn bangs, silently and desperately willing the boy to wake up.

That's when he saw that Hiccup had starting sweating profusely. His pale face was becoming more and more flushed with each passing moment. No. Hiccup couldn't be getting another fever. He couldn't!

Still, stroking his son's hair with one hand, Stoick placed his other hand on Hiccup's forehead before pulling it back. Hiccup's forehead was burning up.

Stoick was now desperately hoping his son would wake up so that he could show the boy how sorry he was. He didn't have much time; he knew that Gobber and Toothless wouldn't be gone for long, especially since Toothless would be eager to get back to Hiccup's side. Stoick would have to be fast.

Without even thinking of what he was doing, Stoick gently lifted his son and held the boy's small frame close to him.

Hiccup moaned as he was moved.

"Hiccup…" Stoick whispered, wrapping his thick, muscular arms around his son.

Hiccup shuddered and whimpered softly at the older Viking's touch.

"Please wake up soon, son," Stoick sighed, wrapping the bed fur around Hiccup before holding him even closer.

The sixteen-year-old Viking's head turned limply to his father and buried itself in Stoick's chest.

"…nnnnn…" Hiccup groaned.

"Hiccup?" Stoick looked down to see Hiccup's face flushing even more.

Hiccup slowly opened his eyes, blinked a few times to clear his vision, and began to look around the room.

"Hiccup…" he heard someone whisper. Before he could see who it was, he felt himself being swept into a bone-breaking hug.

Hiccup yelped as the pressure on his already sore body increased.

Stoick quickly let go of his son, fearing that he'd hurt Hiccup even more.

After being released from the death grip, Hiccup turned around to see his father. Or rather, the man who had been his father before he disowned Hiccup.

"N-no!" he whimpered, writhing in Stoick's grasp.

"Hiccup, it's ok," Stoick said, trying to pull Hiccup close to him again.

"N-no! No please! I'll leave! I promise I'll leave!" Hiccup cried, unable to control his fear. "I-I promise. Toothless and I…w-we'll leave! You'll never see me again!"

Stoick was shocked. Was Hiccup really saying this?

"Hiccup…I don't want you to leave," he said, reaching for Hiccup again.

Weak and tired, Hiccup fell forward, landing right on Stoick's chest.

"P-please…" the teenager begged. "I-I'm s-sorry…I'll l-leave…"

"No," Stoick told him. "You and Toothless are staying here. You're home now, Hiccup."

"B-but…" Hiccup shook his head to try to clear it.

"Relax, son," Stoick said softly, patting Hiccup's shoulder.

"B-but…y-you said…I w-wasn't your…s-son…" Hiccup slurred, swaying slightly.

"You are my son," Stoick whispered, holding Hiccup.

Hiccup squirmed weakly, trying to get free while at the same time trying to hide his fear.

Stoick held Hiccup, placing his hand on Hiccup's back to keep him close.

"N-no…d-don't…" Hiccup pleaded.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Hiccup," Stoick assured his young son. "I promise."

Hiccup whimpered for a moment before bursting into a fit of frantic tears.

Stoick held him closer, but tried to keep his grip from tightening too much. He didn't want to hurt poor Hiccup again.

"Hiccup, calm down," he urged. "Just calm down."

"I-I c-can't!" Hiccup sobbed. "Y-you're…you're…"

"I'm what? What is it, Hiccup? Tell me!" Stoick encouraged his son to tell him what was troubling the boy so much.

"Y-you d-disowned me!" Hiccup wailed, his hands covering his face as he began to shake even harder. His entire body was shaking now.

"I know…" Stoick said, hanging his head. "And I'm sorry."

Hiccup's sobs came to a stop.

"W-what?" Hiccup asked.

Stoick took a deep breath and sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said. "For everything."

"I…I…" Hiccup didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," Stoick said, laying Hiccup back down. "I hurt you so badly when I did that…I never should have hurt you like that…"

Hiccup said nothing; he just stared at the Viking chief in shock.

"This is all my fault," Stoick continued. "I should've listened to you."

Hiccup still remained silent.

"Say something," Stoick said, watching his teenage son.

Young Hiccup still said nothing.

"Hiccup, please," Stoick's eyes met his son's. He could see the hurt, the confusion, the fear, and the tiredness in his son's eyes. "Please, Hiccup…Say something…Anything…"

Tears welled up in Hiccup's eyes as he opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it quickly.

"I'm…I'm proud to call you my son, Hiccup," Stoick told him.

"R-really…?" Hiccup asked quietly. So quietly, his voice was barely above a raspy whisper.

Stoick nodded.

"Yes, really," he said.

This only made Hiccup cry even harder.

In an attempt to calm his son's anguish, Stoick pulled Hiccup into his arms. This time, Hiccup didn't resist. In fact, he turned to Stoick, buried his face in his father's chest, and cried until he had no tears left.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes, Hiccup had cried himself out. Stoick knew that Gobber and Toothless would be back soon.

"Everything's alright, Hiccup," Stoick said, stroking Hiccup's hair while staring into his usually bright eyes. They were still dull, but not as badly as before.

Hiccup opened his mouth to speak but then suddenly, the front door burst open and in walked Toothless.

"Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed, thrashing in his father's grip.

Toothless bounded over to the bed as Hiccup struggled to break free from his father's iron grasp.

"Hiccup, stop!" Stoick said, trying to keep things from escalating any more.

"Let me go!" Hiccup screamed, thrashing more and more frantically. "LET GO!"

Toothless growled at Stoick.

"Hiccup, please!" Stoick was almost begging.

"No! NO!" Hiccup screeched, still trying in vain to get loose.

Stoick held his son's wrists above the rest of him, fearing that Hiccup would hurt himself in his frantic struggle.

Hiccup saw the man whom he no longer could call his father lift his wrists and hold them above him.

That's when the tears began to well more and more in Hiccup's hurt and confused eyes.

Stoick saw the tears in his son's eyes and he knew immediately that Hiccup would cry.

The chief was so busy focusing on his son; he didn't see Toothless rear up.

Toothless growled menacingly and hurled himself against Stoick, knocking the shocked chief to the floor.

Unfortunately, he also took Hiccup down with him without meaning to.

Hiccup yelped as he hit the floor and his father landed right on top of what was left of his left foot.

Hiccup's screams and cries echoed throughout the entire house as the boy tried to free himself.

For a moment, Stoick was too stunned to realize what was going on around him, but then he looked down.

"Hiccup!" he gasped, scrambling off of his son. "I'm sorry!"

Hiccup got on his hands and knees and crawled toward Toothless.

Toothless's eyes never left his boy. He had just seen him get hurt again right in front of him and he wanted to make sure that Hiccup didn't get hurt again.

"Hiccup, hold on a minute," Stoick urged, getting up and trying to catch his son.

Toothless nudged Hiccup gently, jumped in front of the Viking teen, and growled at Stoick, his eyes narrowed in undisguised anger.

"I didn't mean to-" Stoick began, but Toothless didn't give him time to finish.

The angry Night Fury carefully scooped up the crying Hiccup and ran out of the house.

Stoick ran out after them, but the Night Fury was faster and within minutes, Toothless and Hiccup had easily outdistanced the Viking chief.

…

"Stoick, I finally got the prosthetic finished!" Gobber called, opening the door and walking in, only to see Stoick sitting by the fireplace, his helmet on the floor and his face in his hands. Hiccup's bed was empty, and there was no sign of the boy or his dragon anywhere.

"What happened?" Gobber asked.

"They're gone," Stoick answered quietly.

Gobber felt a shiver go down his spine. Stoick never talked like this. Something was very wrong.

"Where?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"I…" Stoick shook his head. "I don't know. Toothless found me here and he took off with Hiccup."

Gobber gulped. This wasn't good.

"Stoick…a freeze is on its way…" he said, unable to keep from saying it. "If they get caught in that…"

Stoick's eyes widened.

"Hiccup's a goner!" he said, his usually fearless, booming voice now wavering.

Gobber looked down at the prosthetic leg in his hand. He and Toothless had worked so hard to make it. And now…

"We have to find him," Stoick said, cutting into Gobber's thoughts. "I almost lost my son once. I'm not losing him again."

"Stoick, the dragon…" Gobber interrupted. "Toothless took off with Hiccup because he felt like you were still angry with Hiccup."

"But I'm not!" Stoick insisted.

"That's what he thought though," Gobber explained. "Did you show any hostility? Because need I remind you, you're bad for that."

"When he rammed me…I accidentally fell…" Stoick hung his head as he remembered. "…On…on…"

"On what?" Gobber demanded.

"On…Hiccup…" Stoick answered.

"Beard of Odin, Stoick!" Gobber gasped. "Look at you and then look at him! You could have killed him!"

"For the love of Thor, Gobber, I didn't mean to land on him!" Stoick shot back.

"Try explaining that to the dragon!" Gobber snapped.

Stoick glared at Gobber because raising a hand.

"Gobber, we're wasting our breath and our time," he said. "And Hiccup's…"

Gobber nodded.

"You're right," he said. But then that's when a look of shocked appeared on his face.

"What?" Stoick questioned, noticing the look.

"I never thought I'd see the day…" Gobber whispered. "That you, the great Stoick the Vast would stop your own argument.

Stoick rolled his eyes.

"Things change, Gobber," he said.

"You got that right," Gobber replied.

"Let's go," Stoick said. "We have to find them before the freeze hits."

Gobber nodded again. He knew as well as Stoick did that even with Toothless, there was a very slim chance that Hiccup would be able to survive the freeze out there…

…

…

So, how was it, guys? Let me know.

Review =)


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Well, here's Chapter 7. Thanks to Jewlbunny, Egyptprncssxox, OmegaDelta, peacexfreedom, and SweetSearene for the reviews on Chapter 6. Hope you guys all like this brand new Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD or any of the characters, DreamWorks does.

…

"Alright, if I had to guess, I'd say that the freeze should be coming in just a few days," Gobber reported, sniffing the air as he did so.

"Honestly, Gobber," Stoick sighed. "I never will understand how you do that."

"What can I say?" Gobber grinned as he shrugged his broad shoulders. "It's a gift. Hard to believe you've known me since before Hiccup was even in Val's belly."

"It has been a pretty long time," Stoick agreed.

"Funny how a man just talking to another man's wife'll end up with the two of them being friends," Gobber sighed in a stupid, dreamy fashion before chuckling.

Stoick shook his head and rolled his eyes. He would have laughed too, but given the fact that his son was out there, in weather that was becoming colder and colder as the freeze got closer and closer to Berk.

"So anyway, that gives us a few days to find Hiccup," Stoick said.

Gobber stopped laughing and nodded gravely.

"But about how many days?" Stoick asked.

"Hold on a minute," Gobber answered.

At that moment, the blond Viking turned and sniffed the air.

"Let's see…*sniff sniff*…Aaaah about four or five days, almost a week," Gobber explained.

"That's not too long," Stoick said, "We have to find my son. You check the forest. I'll check the other side of the island. We'll meet back here at sundown."

Gobber nodded his agreement to this.

Without another word, the two Viking men set out to find Hiccup and his protective dragon.

…

Hiccup nestled against Toothless's warm, scaly side as a slight breeze made its way through the air, sending a chill through the sixteen-year-old Viking's tunic and a shiver down his spine. Every now and again a slight jolt of pain would go through his leg where his father's weight had landed on him. He was still a little shaken up as well, especially by what all had happened.

First, he had awakened to find not Toothless, but Stoick holding him, with Toothless not even in the house. Next, his father kept trying to act like he was apologizing for ignoring, shrugging off, and eventually disowning Hiccup. But in reality, all he was doing was messing with Hiccup's emotions.

After that, Toothless had returned. And from there, Hiccup's memory was a little fuzzy, but he could remember crashing to the floor, and Stoick landing on top of him. And then, Toothless had grabbed Hiccup and ran into the forest.

Now, Hiccup was lying curled up on the forest floor, wrapped in Toothless warm embrace and secured by Toothless's wings.

"T-Toothless…" the teenage Viking whispered, his voice worn and tired.

Toothless crooned softly and nuzzled Hiccup as if to assure his human that he was still there.

"P-please…" Hiccup groaned. "M-make it…s-stop…"

At this, Toothless nestled closer to his boy and whimpered softly. That's when Hiccup saw something fall from the Night Fury's acid green eyes. Something small and wet.

"Toothless?" Hiccup looked into his dragon's eyes. "A-are you…?"

Toothless nodded and nestled even closer to Hiccup as another tear fell from his eyes.

"Oh…P-please…please don't cry, Bud," Hiccup pleaded, wrapping his arms around Toothless's neck.

Toothless licked Hiccup's face and nuzzled his human friend, his tears now falling into Hiccup's hair.

Suddenly, Hiccup yelped.

Toothless released Hiccup, looking worried.

"M-my foot!" Hiccup screamed. "I-it h-hurts!"

Toothless looked over to Hiccup's right foot and nuzzled it, trying to make it feel better.

"N-no…" Hiccup whimpered. "B-bud…i-it…it's n-not th-that f-foot…"

Toothless looked over to where Hiccup's left foot had been and eyed the stump. Helpless to ease Hiccup's pain, Toothless looked into Hiccup's eyes as if he was saying '_I'm sorry'_.

"I-It's…o-okay…Bud…" Hiccup choked out, massaging his stump, wincing as he did so.

Toothless crooned and nuzzled Hiccup again, trying his absolute hardest to calm the boy's anguish. Hiccup…his best friend…the boy who he cared for so much…he was upset and Toothless wanted to help him.

…

Finally, after a little over an hour, the pain had subsided and Hiccup fell into a deep, uneasy sleep. Toothless nestled beside him and stayed close to the young Viking. He felt sleepy too, but he didn't want to let his guard down by falling asleep. The last time he had let his guard down, Hiccup had gotten hurt.

Gobber tore through branches of trees as he ran through the forest. He had to find Hiccup. Toothless could only do so much to protect the boy from the cold, especially since he couldn't fly. The prosthetic that Gobber and Toothless had made for Hiccup was designed to lock right into the stirrup that would control Toothless's prosthetic fin.

That's when he heard a scream echoing through the forest. He knew that scream…It was Hiccup!

"I'm coming, Hiccup!" he exclaimed softly before turning and running in the direction of the scream.

…

Stoick had searched every hill and cave; anywhere at all that Hiccup could be hiding. Anywhere that Toothless could have taken the boy.

He had to find Hiccup! He could feel the air growing colder with each passing hour. It was almost sundown. He refused to sleep that night until his young son was safe and home.

He was about to begin his search again when he heard a loud, drawn-out scream of misery and pain. It was coming from the other side of the island. In the very direction of the forest.

Stoick recognized the scream immediately. It was Hiccup!

"Hiccup!" the chief gasped.

Without hesitation, Stoick turned to where he'd heard the scream and started running toward the sound. He had to get to Hiccup! He knew he'd have to deal with Toothless in the process but he would try to reason with the dragon. After all, the past few weeks had been filled with a lot of firsts. Reasoning with a dragon wouldn't be any different from everything else…

…

…

So, what did you guys all think of it? Let me know, guys.

Review =)


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Well, here's Chapter 8. Thanks to MrCLogan, Jewlbunny, OmegaDelta, firechickflame, Egyptprncssxox, FavoriteReader, AngetianPrincess18, Ferdoos, and Kari for all the reviews on Chapter 7. Hope you guys like this brand new Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD or any of the characters, DreamWorks does.

…

Hiccup opened his eyes slowly and blinked a few times, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dim light.

"Wha…W-where…?" the teenage Viking slurred as he attempted to sit up, only for his arms and back to throb as he tried, causing him to fall back.

Slowly, his vision began to clear. He was lying against Toothless in a small cave. Night had fallen over Berk, blanketing the entire island in darkness with the only light being from the twinkling stars and the silvery glow from the full moon.

"Toothless?" Hiccup questioned.

Toothless opened his eyes and looked his boy over.

"I'm fine, Bud," Hiccup said, trying to keep his dragon from worrying about him. But Toothless seemed to see through his fake smile and crooned softly and worriedly.

"It's okay, Bud," Hiccup said, wrapping his arms around the Night Fury's neck.

Toothless purred and nuzzled Hiccup, earning a soft laugh from the boy. After Toothless heard that, his ears perked up and the worried dragon began to relax.

...

"I couldn't find him," Stoick said to Gobber, looking down at his hands. "I heard him screaming, but I couldn't find him."

"I heard the screams too," Gobber said. "But when they stopped, I couldn't find him either."

"And even if we do find him, there's a good chance that Toothless won't let me anywhere near Hiccup," Stoick sighed.

"Yeah, that's not gonna help at all," Gobber replied. "We're gonna need someone who Toothless trusts."

"Well, he trusts you, doesn't he?" Stoick asked.

"Yes, but he barely knows me and he's probably gonna be good and mad at me for tricking him into leaving Hiccup," Gobber answered.

"You got a point there," Stoick said. "Is there anyone else that Toothless might trust?"

"Well, there's always the Hofferson girl," Gobber pondered thoughtfully. "She was a bit snippy to Hiccup for a while there, but I think she's starting to warm up to him. So maybe she can help us find him."

Stoick nodded. That definitely sounded like a good idea.

…

Astrid couldn't believe what was happening. Hiccup was missing! And a freeze was only a week away!

"Hiccup!" she called, running through the forest, armed with her infamous battle-axe. "Hiccup!"

...

Hiccup could hear someone calling his name from somewhere in the distance. The voice sounded very familiar, but at the moment, Hiccup simply couldn't place just who the voice belonged to. But then, he was only half-awake so that probably had a lot to do with his hazy memory. Well, that and the fact that he had most likely hit his head when he had fallen earlier that day.

Whatever the reason, Hiccup felt to tired to think or listen to the voice. Right now, all he wanted to do was curl up against Toothless and sleep while being wrapped in the dragon's warm, protective, and reassuring grip.

Toothless seemed to hear the voice too because at that moment, he perked up and crooned softly.

"You hear it too, don't you, Bud?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless nodded.

"I don't know who it is, but I do know that it has to be a girl," Hiccup said. "At least, from here it sounds like a girl."

Toothless nodded again.

"I just wish I could remember who it was," Hiccup grumbled, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his teeth, as though willing himself to somehow automatically remember the name of who was calling him. But no matter how hard he tried, the name continued to elude him.

But he comforted himself with the fact that it wasn't Stoick who was looking for him.

...

Astrid panted as she raced through the darkening forest, swinging her axe at anything in front of her, causing an assortment of tree branches among other things to fall to the ground.

"Hiccup, you'd better hang on," Astrid huffed as she ran. "I almost lost you once. I'm NOT losing you again!"

Finally, she heard an all too familiar sound. The sound of a dragon crooning. It was Toothless! And If Toothless was here…Hiccup had to be too!

"Toothless?" Astrid said as she stepped forward, holding her axe away so as to not show the dragon any hostility. "Toothless is that you?"

A pair of bright green eyes that seemed to glow in the dark turned and stared at Astrid. Slowly the form of the Night Fury came into view. The full moon bathed Toothless's entire body in silvery light. And there, curled up in a ball, lying against Toothless's side, was Hiccup!

"Hiccup!" Astrid exclaimed, a smile forming on her face as she fought to suppress a stream of tears of joy and relief.

"H-hey, Astrid…" Hiccup whispered.

"I've been looking all over for you," Astrid said, kneeling beside Hiccup.

Toothless watched Astrid warily. Yes, he trusted the blonde female Viking, but he had also trusted Gobber and the latter had tricked him so that Hiccup's former father could sneak into the house and hurt Hiccup. As if he hadn't already done more than enough to hurt poor Hiccup.

Sensing the dragon's distrust, Astrid looked Toothless in the eyes, as though trying to convince him that she wouldn't hurt Hiccup. In fact, that had been her worst fear when she had been searching for him. What if Toothless lost him? What if some wild animal or rogue dragon attacked him? What if he hurt himself? It had all plagued her frantic mind as she had searched for Hiccup and Toothless. And now, she had found them.

…

…

So, how was it? Let me know, guys.

Review =)


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Well, here's Chapter 9. First off, I made sure this was by far the longest Chapter of this fanfic so far. Second off, I want to say thanks to Ferdoos, Jewlbunny, Egyptprncssxox,OmegaDelta, and Kari for all the reviews on Chapter 8. Hope you guys like this brand new Chapter. And Happy Belated Thanksgiving, everybody! (Hey better belated than be never)

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD or any of the characters, DreamWorks does.

…

Astrid finally managed to get Toothless to calm down just enough for her to run and get Stoick and Gobber. At first, Toothless had been very defensive when Astrid so much as mentioned the name of the Viking chief, but then after nearly an hour of coaxing, convincing, and a little bit of arguing, the Night Fury allowed Stoick to approach Hiccup.

Stoick wrapped Hiccup in the thick fur he had brought just in case they found the boy. He himself could withstand the cold, but he knew his son couldn't.

After wrapping the boy up, Stoick picked up Hiccup and turned to Gobber and Astrid.

"Let's go," he said.

Toothless followed the chief, his eyes not leaving Hiccup. He didn't dare take his attention off of his human, just in case something happened to the boy.

Stoick also kept an unwavering watch on Hiccup. His skin was rosy from the cold that was slowly descending on Berk. It was clear from the boy's expression that he was sleeping uneasily. They would have to get him out of the cold weather fast. He was already sick; he didn't need to get even worse.

As he thought about all of this, Stoick really looked at his son and he realized something: His young son had always been small and scrawny, but now he saw that Hiccup had gotten even skinnier than he had been before. His arms and legs were so much thinner, as was the rest of him; the boy looked like a skeleton with its skin still on it.

Stoick knew that all of this was his fault.

'_I did this.'_ That's what he had said after the battle with the Red Death. And it was true. He _had_ done this. Him. There was no one else to blame but himself.

Hiccup blinked and looked around. All he could see was Astrid walking beside him and Toothless right beside her.

"You'll be okay, Hiccup," he heard Astrid whisper as his eyes began to close again. "You'll be…"

Before he heard anymore, Hiccup blacked out.

…

Hiccup groaned and coughed softly as he opened his eyes. His face felt hot and sweaty. His vision was blurry but he could still just make out his surroundings. He was back in his house. He was in a bed downstairs. Funny. He didn't remember any bed being downstairs.

"W-where am I?" he slurred, his eyes darting around sluggishly.

"You're home, Hiccup," he heard a voice respond. He had hoped he wouldn't hear that voice again.

"No…" Hiccup whispered. "No…n-no, please..."

"Hiccup, it's alright," Stoick said, standing up and walking over to the bed.

"N-no…s-stay away…" Hiccup whimpered. "P-please…d-don't…"

"Hiccup, calm down," Stoick said, placing his hand on his son's head, stroking the boy's hair, which was getting wet due to his constant sweating.

"Stoick, can I talk to you?" Astrid asked.

"Make him go away!" Hiccup shrieked, gripping the bed fur frantically. "MAKE HIM GO AWAY!"

Toothless crooned softly as he hurried to Hiccup's side and began to nuzzle his human. Within a few minutes, Hiccup's screams and cries of fear and pain had reduced themselves to slight whimpers and soft weeping as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Toothless crooned sadly as he watched his sleeping human. Hiccup was nestled against the dragon's side, sleeping peacefully for the first time in weeks, as evidenced by the deep, dark shadows under Hiccup's eyes. It was clear to Toothless that his friend was in desperate need of rest. Hiccup jerked in his sleep, sparking a hint of worry in Toothless. The Night Fury nuzzled the boy and wrapped his wings around him a bit more tightly in an attempt to calm his boy's fear and anguish.  
Hiccup whimpered and thrashed in his sleep, as though he was trying to fight something. Or someone.

"N-no…No…Toothless…" Hiccup murmured sleepily. "D-don't h-hurt T-Toothless…"

"I won't," Stoick tried, but the dragon growled at him and Astrid grabbed his arm.

"I need to talk to you," she said, her voice quivering for the first time since she was a small child.

Stoick heard her voice shaking and he knew that he couldn't refuse. Just the way Astrid's voice was shaking, the way she was clasping his arm, and how her eyes looked like they were flooding with unshed tears, all of it…all of it reminded him of Hiccup. How he had begged and pleaded with his father to listen. How he had tried to protect his dragon and his people. And how had Stoick reacted? By ignoring the warnings and disowning his son.

"Alright," the chief said, relenting and following Astrid away from Hiccup.

Only when Hiccup could no longer see the man he had once called his father, did he calm down.

Toothless made a noise between a purr and a croon as he snaked his scaly body around Hiccup, nestling him closely, warming Hiccup's cold, trembling body so that no more warmth could leave him.

The room was dark aside from the crackling flames in the fire place and the luminescent light pouring in the window from the glimmering moon and the room was quiet, aside from the occasional _crack!_ and _pop!_ from the fire and the sound of Hiccup's once erratic breathing, which was now slowing down slightly.

Hiccup turned and snuggled into Toothless's chest. The repetitive beat of the Night Fury's heart comforted the young Viking.

"I-I'm...s-so...t-tired...T-Toothless..." Hiccup whispered.

Toothless nuzzled Hiccup and the sixteen-year-old son of Stoick was lulled back to sleep by the combined soothing sounds of Toothless's heartveat and his gentle purring.

When Hiccup felt himself being rocked back and forth, he realized it was Toothless. The boy smiled up at his dragon when it looked down at him, it's eyes brimming with love and worry.

"It's okay, Bud," Hiccup whispered as he drifted off to sleep. "I'm okay..."

Watching Hiccup's small sleeping form; Toothless uncoiled and curled up at the foot of Hiccup's bed, taking care not to lie on any part of Hiccup.

Hiccup stirred in his sleep, wincing slightly. Obviously, he was suffering from a phantom pain. Toothless had heard Gobber talking about such things. In fact, Toothless himself sometimes felt phantom pains from when he had lost his tail. Sometimes the pain could be horrible and could take nearly forever to fade. Sometimes Hiccup woke up in the middle of the night gasping for breath, holding onto his leg and crying until he was placated by Toothless.

But not tonight. Tonight, the young Viking lay in his bed, sleeping peacefully for once. After a while, Toothless gave in to fatigue and before long, the protective Night Fury was fast asleep.

No sooner had Toothless fallen asleep that Hiccup yawned softly and opened his eyes. He felt a little more relaxed than he had over the course of the past few days.

But then he remembered where he was. He remembered that he was back in his house. That meant Stoick could be returning anytime! If the man wasn't there already!

Hiccup had to get out. He had to leave. He just knew that Stoick would be angry with him for being in the house. After all, Hiccup wasn't his son anymore. He himself had said it.

Hiccup climbed out of his bed unsteadily, before losing his balance and falling to the floor.

Toothless's eyes flew open when he heard Hiccup yelp as he landed on his stump. Without hesitation, the dragon climbed off the bed and landed beside Hiccup, his bright eyes filled with concern and worry.

"I-I'm okay, Bud," Hiccup whispered as the dragon started to whine. "I-I j-just fell, that's all."

Toothless nudged his human, urging him to get back to bed.

"Toothless, w-we have to get out of here," Hiccup said earnestly.

Toothless gave his human a questioning glance.

"We have to!" Hiccup was pleading now. "The chief may come back any minute and he'll be so mad if he sees us here."

Toothless growled as Hiccup mentioned Stoick. The Night Fury still did not trust the man Hiccup had called his father. Yes, he had brought Hiccup home, but he had still not owned up to what he had done. He had still not said that he was sorry for hurting Hiccup. So Toothless could not forgive him. Not know, maybe not ever.

"Please, Toothless," Hiccup begged. "We have to go. Now."

Toothless didn't know what to do. On one hand, Hiccup might recover faster here. On the other hand, he couldn't stand to see Hiccup in so much distress. Distress which would only escalate and possibly make Hiccup's condition even worse.

"Please Toothless," Hiccup pleaded, tears gathering in his eyes as he tugged on the dragon's foreleg. "We have to go. We have to go now."

Toothless brayed sadly and helped Hiccup climb on his back, careful to keep from hurting his human friend.

"I-I…" Hiccup stammered.

Toothless glanced back at him, his expression one of intense worry.

"I-I'm s-so t-tired, Bud," Hiccup whispered, rubbing his eyes.

Toothless crooned very softly, and as he continued, Hiccup could swear the crooning sounded more and more like a slow, haunting yet very sweet and alluring melody.

"Th-that…s-sound…" Hiccup slurred sleepily. "It…s-sounds like…you're…s-singing…"

Toothless began to sway softly, making Hiccup feel as though he was being rocked back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth…

Hiccup yawned and felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. He had felt scared that he and Toothless might get caught, but now he just wanted to sleep.

Toothless secured Hiccup with his wings and hurried out of the house, taking care not to startle Hiccup. After all, he'd been through a lot. He needed his rest. And the sooner they got out of the house, the sooner he could rest.

Toothless knew that he couldn't fly without Hiccup steering the tail fin. But he didn't want to wake the poor boy. Besides, they would be more inconspicuous if they travelled on foot. So Toothless retreated to the forest. Yes, Stoick and the others had searched here before, but they would never find something that never stayed in one place. The only challenge would be moving Hiccup to keep from being detected.

"Toothless…" Hiccup whispered, pulling the dragon out of his thoughts.

Toothless looked back at him, his eyes staring into Hiccup's.

"Where are we going?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless gave a short, soft croon as he continued to stare into Hiccup's eyes.

'_Trust me_,' his expression seemed to say. '_Trust me, Hiccup_.'

Hiccup nodded and lay his head on Toothless's back and wrapped his skinny arms around the Night Fury's neck. He knew Toothless would never let anything or anyone hurt him.

"I trust you, Bud," Hiccup whispered, feeling sleep tugging at him. "I know you won't hurt me...you…won't let anything happen to me…"

Toothless nodded.

…

Finally, after nearly an hour, Toothless finally found a cave a little like the other one, but this one was further into the forest and a little more hidden. But all Toothless cared about was that it would keep Hiccup safe.

Toothless climbed into the cave and helped Hiccup get down.

After shifting into a position comfortable for both human and dragon, Toothless coiled protectively around Hiccup and nuzzled his boy softly. Hiccup wrapped his arms around his dragon's neck again. Toothless responded by licking the boy's face and draping his tail across Hiccup's thin shoulders, earning a soft laugh and a slight smile from the teenager.

But then, his smile faltered and Hiccup's laughter faded. Young Hiccup began to cry.

Toothless brayed worriedly and he began to nuzzle the boy gently. But Hiccup continued to wail inconsolably.

Frantic to calm his human, Toothless wrapped his scaly, black wings around Hiccup and he began to croon softly as he had done earlier. But Hiccup continued to shake and cry.

Toothless purred gently and cradled Hiccup in his wings, as if he was telling Hiccup that everything would be okay.

Hiccup snuggled close to Toothless, still crying and shaking with the fear and sadness that engulfed him.

Toothless continued to purr and gently nuzzle his boy, trying to keep him from becoming hysterical. Hiccup slowly started to calm down as he listened to Toothless's assuring heartbeat.

Toothless licked Hiccup's cheek as if telling him he was safe, that he would stay with him.

"Don't leave, Bud," Hiccup pleaded. "Please, Toothless."

Toothless helped Hiccup lie back against him before securing him once more in his safe, assuring wings.

"I…I…" Hiccup stammered.

Toothless nudged him gently, encouraging him to tell the dragon what was troubling him so.

"I'm w-wanna…s-sleep, Bud," Hiccup murmured, barely awake.

Toothless crooned softly and nestled closer to Hiccup, encouraging him to sleep.

Finally, Hiccup allowed sleep victory.

Toothless smiled as Hiccup curled up, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

…

Stoick sighed and shook his head as he made his way from the Hofferson household to his own house. He knew that Hiccup would be asleep by now, considering how late at night it was. And there was no doubt in his mind that Toothless was guarding the boy, holding him in those wings, shielding him from any and all harm.

Astrid had told Stoick all about what Hiccup meant to Toothless and what Toothless meant to Hiccup. Of course, this only made Stoick feel even guiltier. Here he had tried to kill the Night Fury and now he realized it would have torn Hiccup apart if he had done it. How could he have done this? He had been a horrible father. Perhaps the worst that Berk had ever seen. And not only had he endangered his son, but also his entire village by ignoring his son's warnings of the monstrous Red Death.

Astrid had also said that Stoick had to show Toothless that he wasn't a threat before the Night Fury would even consider letting him near Hiccup. Stoick knew that she was right, so that was the only thing he could do. This would be a thousand times harder than any battle he had ever faced before.

As the chief reached for the door, he took a deep breath. Now it was time to face everything. Time to show Toothless he didn't have to protect Hiccup from him. To show Hiccup that he didn't need to be afraid of him anymore.

Slowly, he opened the door and stepped into the house.

…

Stoick couldn't believe it. Hiccup's bed was empty and there was no sight of him or Toothless. Stoick knew since he couldn't walk he couldn't be upstairs, but he checked all of upstairs anyway. Still nothing.

Stoick started to worry. The freeze was only two days away now! And there was no knowing how long Hiccup and Toothless had been gone!

Without even thinking about it, Stoick hurried to Gobber's house.

"Stoick, do you have any idea what time it is?!" Gobber demanded.

"Hiccup's gone!" Stoick shouted.

"What?" Gobber asked.

"Hiccup's gone!" Stoick repeated. "And I don't know how long he and Toothless have been gone! But I looked all over the house, and I couldn't find him! HE'S GONE, GOBBER! MY SON IS GONE AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO LOOK! MY SON, GOBBER! MY SON!"

Gobber said nothing, he was too shocked. Hiccup couldn't walk so Toothless must have carried him off.

"Let's look around,' he said after he was finally able to find his voice. "He can't walk on his own, so he couldn't have gone far."

"But Toothless was with him," Stoick said. "He could have taken him anywhere by now."

"Remember, he needs Hiccup to fly and Hiccup's prosthetic leg is at the forge," Gobber reasoned. "I just finished it this morning."

Stoick sighed. He felt guilty for thinking this, but he was grateful for Gobber keeping the prosthetic at the forge. This way there was still a chance to find his young son and the boy's dragon before the freeze hit Berk.

"Let's check the Great Hall," Gobber suggested.

Stoick nodded.

The two headed to the Great Hall, searched everywhere, and became dismayed when they found neither boy nor dragon.

"We have to find him," Stoick said, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

"We'll find him," Gobber said, a determined look on his face. Neither one of them was willing to surrender and leave Hiccup to the mercy of the freeze. They refused to admit defeat, because Vikings don't give up.

…

Hiccup yawned and opened his eyes slowly. His dry throat had been what had awakened him. His throat was as dry as a bone. He needed water but he saw that Toothless was still sleeping. The dragon had already done so much for him; Hiccup didn't want to disturb what may have been the first peaceful rest in weeks. After all, Toothless had spent every day since after the defeat of the Red Death worrying about Hiccup. Hiccup felt so guilty for worrying his best friend and being so helpless, he felt he needed to do something on his own. For himself and more importantly, for Toothless.

So, without a second thought, Hiccup slowly pulled himself free of Toothless's warm, protective grasp. He was just going to head to one of the many little springs that flowed here and there throughout the forest, get a drink, and come straight back before Toothless even knew that he was gone.

Hiccup knew he couldn't walk so he would have to crawl. It would take a while, but it was better than risking falling and hurting himself or waking Toothless, or both.

As his thirst grew more and more with each passing second, Hiccup got down on his hands and knees and crawled away.

…

Stoick and Gobber had just finished combing through the outskirts of the village when Stoick felt something cold hit his shoulder.

"Gobber, look up," he said, sounding very troubled.

"Oh…Oh Thor…" Gobber said, looking up and seeing thousands of tiny snowflakes falling silently through the cold night air before landing on the ground.

"The freeze is getting closer!" Stoick exclaimed.

"And Hiccup's still out there somewhere!" Gobber gasped.

"Hiccup!" Stoick cried out. "Gobber, we have to find him!"

Gobber nodded.

"Hiccup!" the one-handed Viking called out. "Hiccup!"

…

Hiccup felt his blood run cold when he heard two voices calling his name. One of them was definitely that of Gobber. The other…that was Stoick's voice.

Hiccup silently prayed that they wouldn't find him. They would no doubt take him away from Toothless. Hiccup couldn't bear to be torn away from his best friend.

He loved Toothless as if they had been friends their entire lives. He felt most comfortable when he was in the presence of the dragon. He could really be himself when he was with Toothless. Not just put up a front that he used with everyone else, but his actual self.

That's when he felt something cold and wet hit his cheek. He looked up to see thousands of tiny, white snowflakes falling from the sky.

Feeling cold and exhausted, Hiccup suddenly collapsed to the ground.

…

Toothless coiled even closer, determined even in his sleep to keep Hiccup safe and warm. He would not leave his human friend cold and vulnerable. No. Never.

That's when he didn't feel Hiccup's warm, little body.

Toothless's eyes flew open and the dragon let out a noise of undisguised fear. Where was Hiccup? What had happened to him?

The Night Fury was fighting the strong urge to panic. He had lost his young human. And the weather was growing colder and colder with each passing day!

Unable to just stay where he was, Toothless jumped to his feet and began a frantic search for his friend.

…

Stoick raced through the forest, his eyes darting in every direction. He had to find Hiccup! It was already starting to snow now and the snow was sticking to the ground.

Everything about this was so unbelievable. He was Stoick the Vast. He feared nothing. He feared nothing and was feared by all.

But now, here he was, tearing through the forest as the freeze was beginning, all to search for his weak and scrawny son. He was a little angry at Hiccup and his dragon for taking off, a little confused as to why, but above all other emotions, the Viking chief was afraid. Afraid of being too late. Afraid of losing the only family he had left.

Gobber was a little ways behind him but Stoick couldn't wait for him to keep up. He could waste no time in finding his teenage son.

...

He heard Gobber call out to him. Something about their needing to rest. No, Stoick couldn't rest knowing that his only son was at the risk of being killed due to exposure. Not even the dragon protecting him would be of any help to him in such a storm.

…

Toothless searched everywhere, determined to find Hiccup. Where could his human be?

Suddenly, the Night Fury found himself colliding with Stoick, the Viking chief who Hiccup had once called his father. At least he had until the man had disowned the boy. Toothless remembered how hurt and upset his human friend had been after his father had disowned him. And Toothless still found himself unable to forgive the man for hurting Hiccup.

"Toothless, where's Hiccup?" Stoick asked.

Toothless whimpered sadly and hung his head as if to say 'Who knows?'

"You don't know, do you?" Stoick questioned.

Toothless whimpered again and shook his head.

Stoick sighed.

"We'll look for him together," the chief said.

Toothless growled and shook his head vigorously. He didn't want to look for Hiccup with this man! He didn't!

Stoick could see the dragon's reluctance. He had to do something.

"If we want to find Hiccup, we're going to have to at least try to work together," he said, unable to believe that he was trying to reason with a dragon.

'Why should I trust you?' Toothless's angry and distrustful expression seemed to say.

"The freeze is coming very soon," Gobber said, panting as he caught up. "Toothless, if you want to have any chance of saving Hiccup, then Stoick's right. For once."

Stoick glared at Gobber, who in turned laughed.

"I'm just kidding, Stoick," he said. "Pardon me for trying to lighten the mood."

Suddenly, the dragon's ears perked up and he growled.

"What's wrong, Toothless?" Stoick asked.

Toothless turned and Stoick could hear footsteps hurrying toward them. Someone was coming. But who? It couldn't be Hiccup since he only had one foot and he was most likely still unable to walk on his own. So who was it coming toward them now?

Toothless prepared to shoot a fireball at the incoming intruder.

"Wait!" a girl's voice cried out. "Wait! Toothless, don't shoot! It's me!"

Toothless recognized the voice, so he relaxed.

Astrid appeared, once again wielding her trusty battle-axe.

"I thought I'd come to help," she smiled nervously.

Toothless crooned softly and licked her cheek.

Astrid giggled and wiped her cheek before realizing what she had just done. Instantly, she returned to her originally serious demeanor.

"Any ideas on where he might be?" she asked Stoick and Gobber.

Both men shook their heads solemnly, knowing exactly who the female Viking was talking about.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her eyes betraying her attempt to hide her feelings.

Both Viking men nodded.

"Well we have to find him!" Astrid said earnestly. "Look! The snow's starting to stick to the ground!"

Without another word, Toothless, Astrid, Stoick, and Gobber all took off, desperate to find Hiccup. But the question was how much longer could poor Hiccup hold on?

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know, guys.

Review =)


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: And now, I present to you, the Chapter I've worked on for a solid two and a half weeks, the brand new, even longer than Chapter 9 (A little), I give you: the icredibly long Chapter 10! Thanks to Ferdoos, Egyptprncssxox, Jewlbunny, OmegaDelta, Roamerfromaofw, RadosianStar, and Dark-Angel-Princess for all the reviews on Chapter 9. Also, an additional thanks to Sairey13 for the additional review on Chapter 6. I hope you guys all like this brand new, incredibly long Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD or any of the characters, DreamWorks does.

…

As soon as Toothless had separated from the rest of the group, he picked up a familiar scent. There was no doubt in the dragon's mind that it was Hiccup's scent.

After some time of following the scent, Toothless came to a clearing with a small stream. The scent was coming from near the water. As Toothless neared the stream, he saw something. At first he thought it was just a log or a rock, but then he heard a groan.

Puzzled, the Night Fury looked down and took a closer look. It wasn't a rock and it wasn't a log…it was Hiccup! The boy was lying face down in the deep snow.

That's when he heard something behind him. Toothless turned around to see Gobber.

"Stoick! Astrid! Toothless found him!" Gobber called out, his voice echoing through the trees.

Stoick and Astrid followed the echoes. Finally, they came to a little clearing next to a small stream. And there, right next to the stream, lay the still body of Hiccup, Gobber kneeling beside him, trying to roll the boy onto his back carefully.

"Is he…?" Astrid was so terrified by the possible answer that she couldn't bring herself to finish the question.

"He's breathing," Gobber said, holding his good hand in front of Hiccup's face. Hiccup's breathes came in small, short puffs, causing little puffs of fog to appear in the night air.

"We have to get him home," Stoick said, walking over to his son. Toothless growled and stepped in front of Hiccup when Stoick came too close.

"Toothless, it's okay," Astrid said, holding out her hand.

Toothless put his hand up to the blonde Viking's outstretched hand and purred gently. Yes, the Night Fury knew that he could trust her. Even if the same could not be said for the two men.

When he looked down and saw his young human friend lying motionless on the ground, Toothless let out a miserable whimper.

Hiccup sitting up in his bed, with his head buried in his hands. Stoic had made his way around Hiccup's bed and had knelt down in front of Hiccup. Stoic hadn't expected Hiccup to fight so ardently, when Stoic had reached forward to pull his hands down.

"It's okay, Toothless," Astrid whispered, patting the dragon's muzzle. "It'll be okay. I promise."

Toothless brushed her aside and nuzzled Hiccup.

Stoick stared at his son and the dragon, guilt knawing away him.

Hiccup's face and hair were covered with ice crystals and snow. No, he couldn't have frozen…this wasn't supposed to happen to a child. Especially not in front of the child's father. Especially when that very same father had been the one who caused it all.

When Stoick saw Hiccup lying on the ground, covered in snow, something inside him snapped.

The proud Viking chief fell to his knees beside his son before scooping up the boy's small frame and wrapping the fur cloak that he wore around Hiccup. The boy's entire body shuddered as the sudden warmth hit his body.

Stoick sighed and held his son tightly against his chest.

Toothless squeezed his head between Stoick's arms and nestled with Hiccup, rubbing the boy's cheek with his own and cooing gently.

Gobber sighed, Astrid gasped and Stoick held his breath as Hiccup shifted slightly and groaned. Maybe the boy was about to wake up. But no, Hiccup merely coughed, causing his entire body to shudder violently.

Stoick stood up, still holding his sick son close to him as he turned and began walking in the direction of the village.

Toothless followed close behind, afraid of letting his human out of his sight again. Every time he let Hiccup out of his sight, something would happen and Hiccup would end up even more hurt than he had been before.

…

Worry clawing away at him, Stoick sat by his son's bedside, refusing to leave for more than a few minutes.

Gobber had taken Astrid home a little over an hour ago, so now it was just Stoick and Toothless watching over Hiccup.

Toothless sat on one side of the bed, licking Hiccup's limp right hand and sometimes licking the boy's cheek.

Stoick sat on the left side of the bed, clasping his son's hand in his own while stroking the boy's hair with his other hand.

Every now and again, Hiccup would groan or stir in his sleep. Once or twice in the past ten or fifteen minutes, Hiccup had reached for what was left of his left leg, rubbing it tenderly as he groaned and gasped for breath. Toothless, whose eyes never left his human, would let out a croon of sadness and he would nuzzle Hiccup's hand, careful not to touch his leg.

Stoick's arms trembled and the chief wanted nothing more than to scoop his small-framed son up and hold the boy protectively against his broad chest.

Finally, unable to shake this urge, Stoick gently lifted his son up and held the teenager close to him. Hiccup's head lay against his father's chest while the rest of his scrawny form rested in Stoick's lap.

It was here and now that Stoick could feel just how bony his son had become over the course of the past few weeks. Hiccup had always been small, but now his tunic looked as though it could swallow the young boy whole. His furry vest had stayed in the same spot for the last month or so, but Stoick had a feeling that there would be a similar comparison there. Hiccup had lost so much weight so fast.

Suddenly, a soft whimper pulled the Viking chief back to reality. Hiccup was whimpering and writhing in his father's grasp, seemingly attempting to get free.

That's when Hiccup's eyes slowly opened and the first thing that he saw was Stoick.

"N-no…no…" he gasped. "W-why do I-I k-keep w-waking up here?"

"Hiccup-" Stoick began, but he was cut off by a loud, frightened cry from Hiccup.

"T-this…this is a-all j-just a b-bad dream…" the sixteen-year-old Viking said, clutching his hair and his breath coming in ragged gasps and sighs. "W-when I w-wake up…this w-will all be g-gone…I-I'll s-still be in the cave in the forest…with T-Toothless…"

"Hiccup, it's alright," Stoick whispered, placing his massive hands on Hiccup's tiny, trembling shoulders. Hiccup winced and tensed up at his father's touch. Toothless let out a faint, miserable whine as he nudged Hiccup's hands, trying to get the boy to release his hair. The Night Fury didn't like the idea of Hiccup hurting himself like that.

"P-please…no…" Hiccup began to cry.

"Oh, my son…" unable to say another word, Stoick pulled his distraught son into a hug.

Hiccup squirmed, whimpering in fear. Toothless growled, ready to fight if it meant defending Hiccup. But then he realized he might end up hurting Hiccup in the process, so the dragon kept his temper at bay.

"Hiccup, please don't be afraid," Stoick said, running a hand through Hiccup's hair in an attempt to calm his teenage son down.

Hiccup continued to cry and shake with undisguised fear.

"Hiccup…you're shaking," Stoick said, watching his boy quiver.

"I-I'm…I'm s-scared…" Hiccup whimpered, his face buried in his hands.

"Why are you scared?" Stoick asked, desperate to know what was troubling his treasured son.

"I-I'm s-sorry…D-Dad…" Hiccup sobbed, his face still hidden by his small hands and his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. "I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry…"

"What? What are you-? Hiccup, what do you have to be sorry for?" Stoick asked, his worry increasing more and more with each word Hiccup said.

"I-I know y-you're m-mad at me," Hiccup sniffled, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his tunic and holding the sleeve there, pressed against his nose. Stoick had seen him do this many times as a small child. Any time he had been mocked for being so little or whenever the other children picked on him, Hiccup had always done that. Once when they were six, Snotlout had punched him in the face, giving him a bloody nose. That day he had had one green sleeve and red sleeve. That day he had lied to his father by saying he fell, but Stoick found out the truth after overhearing his nephew brag to the Thorston twins about him punching Hiccup.

But now, just the way Hiccup's big, bright green eyes were quickly filling with hurt and pleading, and the way they shined with unshed tears, Stoick felt as though his son was six years old again. That's how old he had been when his mother had died. That's how old he had been when everything had taken a turn for the worst for the small, only son of the chief.

"I'm not mad," Stoick said softly, holding Hiccup even closer but gently so he didn't hurt his son.

It was true, the chief wasn't angry. In fact, he was far from it. How could he be angry? He had come so close to losing his son. Three times now. All of which had been because of him.

Stoick sighed. It was all his fault. He had ignored his son, the person who loved him the most and had always looked up to him. And yet, he had cast the boy aside for nearly ten years now. After Valhallarama's death, his already slightly unstable relationship had pretty much fallen apart. The only time Stoick had ever really talked to Hiccup in the past couple of years was when he was either giving Hiccup an order to stay out of everyone's way or to yell at him for not obeying that order. And the whole time, Hiccup had been trying to find a way to make his father proud of him.

For Stoick, his father, to be proud of him…that was all that Hiccup ever wanted. That was it!

That's when the chief noticed that Hiccup had suddenly become eerily quiet. Toothless was watching the teenage Viking; the dragon's eyes were glistening with his own unshed tears. Stoick knew the dragon was just as worried as he was, if no more so.

Stoick looked down at Hiccup to see that the boy had literally cried himself to sleep. Toothless still sat beside his bed, crooning and whimpering. He was clearly worried sick about his young human friend.

Sighing heavily, Stoick held Hiccup even closer to him, wishing he could never let the boy go. Wishing that his son would see how much he loved the boy. He also wished he could show his only son just how much he really did mean to his father.

"Hiccup," Stoick whispered, stroking Hiccup's hair again. "I'm sorry, son."

Hiccup stirred in his sleep and groaned but didn't wake up.

Suddenly, a knock at the door startled Stoick.

"It's me," Gobber's voice called from the other side of the door.

"Come on in," Stoick replied, not standing up or even turning to face the door.

"So, how's the boy holding up?" Gobber asked.

"About the same," Stoick answered, placing Hiccup back into bed, wrapping the boy in several furs and blankets.

Gobber sighed and hobbled over to Hiccup's side. Toothless whined as Gobber sat down next to him.

"I know," the blond Viking said, patting the Night Fury's muzzle.

Hiccup suddenly started heaving, like he was going to vomit.

"Stoick…" Gobber couldn't help but look a little worried. "Hiccup...he...he looks like he's gonna be sick."

Stoick fought to keep Hiccup from getting free. The boy would have to wear himself out eventually. And he was stronger than his son, so if he could just keep a good hold on Hiccup, the Viking teen would become too tired to fight anymore sooner or later.

"…Daaaaaad…" the boy mumbled as he began to drift into a fitful sleep.

Before Stoick could respond, a loud whine could be heard throughout the house.

Stoick looked to Gobber and then turned back to see Hiccup squirming under the furs and blankets, his face was flushed and he was sweating so profusely that his tunic was beginning to get soaked. His hair was wet and his hands were clutching his covers so tightly, his small knuckles grew paler and paler until they were completely white.

Stoick didn't know what to do.

"I'll go get Gothi," Gobber said, standing up and heading for the door. Stoick watched as his old friend hurried off to find the village elder/healer.

Gobber had just left the house when Hiccup jarred awake.

"Hiccup, just calm down," Stoick said, taking his son's hands in his own. "I'm not mad. It's ok-"

Hiccup let out a loud, miserable scream, cutting his father off.

Desperate to ease his son's distress, Stoick wrapped the blankets tightly around Hiccup's trembling form.

Hiccup writhed underneath the blankets, tears now streaming from his eyes. His lips were pulled in, holding back another scream. Stoick held him tightly, trying to keep the adolescent from hurting himself.

"Gothi's on her way. You'll be fine, Hiccup," Stoick was saying. His usually booming, powerful voice was now pleading and desperate, as if he were trying to convince his son and himself.

Hiccup couldn't hold back any longer: his back arched and a loud screech ripped through his mouth from his throat. Stoick pressed the boy against his chest, rubbing Hiccup's back as the younger Viking wailed.

Stoick closed his eyes to keep his son from seeing the agony in them.

"No! No!" Hiccup was screaming over and over again, thrashing and fighting to get free from his father and the blankets that held him. "No! No, don't! Don't! Please! Don't! PLEASE! PLEASE, DON'T!"

Stoick held his son even closer, hoping that this would somehow show Hiccup how much his father loved him.

After ten minutes of struggling, Hiccup soon became too tired to fight anymore.

"Everything's going to be fine, Hiccup," the sixteen-year-old Viking heard his father say to him. "Just relax."

These words only agitated Hiccup even more. He couldn't relax knowing that his beloved dragon might be killed by the chief himself; the man Hiccup had once called his father. Hiccup couldn't relax, knowing that that very same chief was, without a doubt, absolutely furious with him. Hiccup, the boy who had messed up everything yet again. The boy who had once been his son.

Hiccup couldn't relax. He had to try to find a way for both him and Toothless to get out of the village safe and alive.

"P-please…S-sir…" the young boy stammered, deciding to see if he could try to reason with Stoick. The attempt was futile, but it was worth a shot.

Stoick was surprised when he heard his son call him "Sir" rather than the usual "Dad".

"Hiccup?" Stoick glanced down at his boy, who was clinging to him.

"I-I p-promise Toothless and I will l-leave," young Hiccup stuttered, his eyes filling with tears. "I…I p-promise. Y-you'll n-never come back. Please don't hurt T-Toothless…"

Before Stoick could respond, Hiccup hung his head and began to weep silently like a small child.

At that moment, Stoick remembered something he hadn't thought of in a long, long time. He looked down at his son, only to see that his teenage son had vanished and in his place there lay an even smaller _child who looked to be around five or six years of age._

_The little boy lay in his bed, his head buried in his pillow and his small hands were clutching his dark auburn hair as the toddler cried softly to himself._

_"Hiccup?" Stoick placed his hand on the child's small, shaking shoulder._

_"No!" Hiccup squeaked. "Daddy, please!"_

_Stoick pulled back, hesitating._

_Hiccup tried to hide the fact that his nose was still bleeding. His cousin, Snotlout, had punched him in the nose earlier that day._

_Hiccup had finished fishing and was now heading to his house when he collided with Snotlout who had been racing with Ruffnut and Tuffnut._

"_Watch it, Hiccup!" Snotlout growled, shoving his cousin to the ground. He was five, just like Hiccup. But he was older by about five months and he was almost twice as big._

"_You bumped into me!" Hiccup said, trying to hide the fear in his voice._

"_What?" Snotlout demanded, grabbing the front of Hiccup's tunic and yanking the smaller boy to his feet._

_Hiccup tried to still his shaking before Snotlout could sense it. But he wasn't able to._

"_Aww, Is poor little Hiccup scared?" the older boy sneered. "Hey, Ruffnut! Tuffnut! Get over here!"_

_The two Thorston twins came running over._

"_What's up?" Tuffnut asked._

"_Hiccup here ran into me and then he started whimpering and crying!" Snotlout said._

"_Hiccup, you're such a little wimp!" Ruffnut spat, shaking her head._

"_Really!" Tuffnut snickered._

_Before Hiccup could even think of what he was doing, he shoved Snotlout. However, Snotlout didn't even flinch._

"_You call that a push?" Snotlout jeered, tossing his head back and laughing. Ruffnut and Tuffnut exchanged amused glances and started laughing too._

_Hiccup furrowed his brow and angrily punched Snotlout in the jaw. Even though it didn't hurt him, it was clear that Snotlout was annoyed. With a furious grunt, Snotlout sent his beefy little fist slamming into Hiccup's face. Hiccup fell back from the force of the blow._

"_You gonna cry now, you big baby?" Ruffnut mocked._

"_Your mommy's not here to save you now," Snotlout laughed._

"_And your dad's so embarrassed of you, he tries to act like you don't even exist," Tuffnut spat._

_Hiccup whimpered and held the left sleeve of his tunic up when he realized that his older cousin had given him a bloody nose._

_Before any of them could do anything else to him, Hiccup turned and ran as fast as he could, too afraid to look back. Afraid of being beaten up by the three other Viking children. Afraid of being insulted again. Afraid of them seeing his tears._

…

Hiccup groaned as he slept fitfully, tossing and turning in the suffocating grasp of fever dreams. It was miserable.

Hours came and went in a feverish blur. Half awake and half asleep, Hiccup tossed and turned uncomfortably. One minute, he would feel hot and sweaty and then the next he would pull the covers up to his chin whenever he got the chills.

His fever dreams became more vivid, with wild, glaringly bright colors. Dreams with scenes that changed every moment.

Familiar faces would swirl within the dreams. An angry Stoick…a dead Toothless…Hiccup trying to escape, but from what, he didn't know.

They were such strange dreams. Disturbing dreams. One right after another.

"_Dad, please!" Hiccup pleaded, grabbing his father's arm. "Please, don't go to the Nest. I promise you can't win! YOU CAN'T!"_

_Stoick shoved Hiccup, sending the boy crashing to the floor._

"_You're not a Viking," the chief said, glaring at Hiccup. "You're not my son."_

"_You're not my son."_

Those four cruel words echoed throughout Hiccup's mind as the nightmares continued to plague his being.

Hiccup moaned and rolled onto his side, trying to find some peace as he rested uncomfortably.

…

Toothless crooned sadly as he laid his head beside Hiccup's as the boy slept uneasily. His boy would stir and groan with each passing moment. Maybe his legs was paining him again, maybe he was having a nightmare. Or maybe…maybe both things were happening to him at the same time.

Whatever was happening, it was clear to Toothless that it was upsetting Hiccup. And the protective Night Fury hated whenever his precious human friend was upset.

Crooning and purring softly, Toothless continued to nuzzle Hiccup in an attempt to calm his boy's anguish.

Hiccup's eyes opened slowly.

"T-Toothless…" the young Viking whispered before once again slipping into the realm of unconsciousness.

…

Stoick sighed as Toothless growled and glared at him. Two days had come and gone and the dragon still refused to let the chief anywhere near Hiccup. But he had allowed Gobber and Gothi to come near the boy, and Astrid.

Astrid had come by the day before, wanting to know how Hiccup was doing, but other than her, Gobber, and of course Gothi, no one else had seen Hiccup and everyone wanted to know how the boy was feeling. But they were all afraid of possibly incurring the wrath of his protective dragon. After all, not even Hiccup's father was allowed near him, so what were the chances of anyone else getting near him?

Hiccup had been awake and unconscious the past couple of days, but he didn't seem to be doing any better. And he seemed more afraid of Stoick than before.

Stoick didn't know what to do. Everything was going nightmarishly wrong.

Then, for one fleeting moment, Hiccup's eyes met his before fluttering closed again.

Three days went by and Hiccup didn't wake. At first, Stoick had been afraid that he had lost his son, but the soft rise and fall of Hiccup's small chest assured him otherwise.

What could he do? His son now wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. And he was to blame for it all. Not Toothless, and certainly not Hiccup. No, no one was to blame but him and him alone.

There was no way to undo everything he had done, but he could try to make things right.

Yes, he would try as hard as he possibly could to make things right between him and his son. But it wouldn't be easy. After all, he had over ten years' worth of ignorance and neglect to make up for.

Hiccup stirred and moaned in his sleep, only to be nuzzled comfortingly by Toothless, who still refused to leave the young boy's bedside. He barely ate, he barely slept. For the past three days, all he had done was nuzzle Hiccup and keep a close watch on the boy to make sure he was safe. Food. Sleep. Going outside. The dragon didn't seem to care for any of it. All the black devil seemed to be worried about was Hiccup.

That devil…that big, black devil…

Somehow, Stoick could no longer see this dragon, Toothless, as a devil anymore. Not after he had saved Hiccup's life. Not after he had been a friend and companion to Hiccup when no one else was there for the boy. In fact, the Night Fury had been more caring to Hiccup than even his own father!

Stoick knew this and he also knew that there was no point in denying any of it. It was all true, every bit of it. All true…All of it…

Stoick sighed, walked over to his son's bed, and placed his hand on Hiccup's head. Why had the boy not woken up yet? Why hadn't Gothi had an answer when she had come to check on Hiccup? Was he going to recover like she said he would? Or was he dying little by little? At the present time, the answer seemed to be the latter. Hiccup seemed to be getting worse and worse as more and more time went by.

Stoick couldn't deal with this. He couldn't lose Hiccup. Hiccup was the only family he had left. The only thing he had left from her. Those bright green eyes that always seemed to have a spark in them…The one thing that Hiccup had left of his mother.

(A/N: Well, the only thing unless you count the breast-helmet, but I don't think he really liked the idea of having that. I know I wouldn't. LOL, ok I'm gonna shut up now and let you folks continue with the story.)

Those eyes. They were all that was left of Val. Stoick had already lost her; he couldn't lose their only son too! He just couldn't!

Hiccup stirred again, rolling onto his other side and laying his head down on Stoick's massive hand.

The Viking chief sighed, but didn't pull his hand away. Hiccup actually looked like he felt halfway comfortable and Stoick didn't have the heart to disturb his son. Not after everything the boy had been through.

Toothless watched Stoick warily as he sat down beside the bed, but then the Night Fury slowly began to relax when he realized that the man meant no harm.

Stoick watched as Toothless allowed him to sit down by the bed. Yes, the dragon was showing some trust in him. It was a start. Now to make a little bit more progress…

...

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So, how was it? Let me know, guys.

Review =)


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